Gifts
by TheCurseDoll-Beelzenef
Summary: Series of connected NaLu One shots, Chapter 2- Lucy is panicking about what she should do for Natsu as a thank you gift. Request fic for my friend, Jaishree winzoo
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I have been so useless with my writing and for that im super sorry. This here is the first chapter of a Nalu request fic for the lovely Jaishree winzoo who, for some reason, wanted me to write some Nalu for them o.O Its taken me far too long to write this first chapter, its ridiculous, especially considering how small a chapter it is :/ Sorry. I have a lot of writing to do. Hope you like this rather lame first chapter. Very loosely inspired by a moment in the Edolas arc when Natsu saw that little frog thing and wanted to catch it for Lucy XD**

**Chapter 1-**

Sunlight stroked the streets of Magnolia and warmed the top of Natsu's head of spiky pink hair as he bounded along the path that would take him to Lucy's apartment. In his hands was a square glass box, its see-through sides were the width of his spread out hand.

"Natsu."

The dragon slayer glanced up at the blue Exceed who was flying just above him.

"Yeah, Happy?"

The cat pulled a face, "Why are you giving that thing to Lucy again?"

Natsu grinned, "It's a souvenir! A gift because she didn't get to come on the mission with us!"

Happy was hesitant, "That wasn't really what I meant…are you sure she'll like it?"

"Of course!" the fire mage exclaimed, "What's not to like?"

The Exceed eyed the odd creature contained in the small case for a moment longer before he shrugged.

"If you say so, Natsu," Happy said, putting on a smile for his friend.

Lucy hadn't gone on the last mission with them because her friend Levy had desperately pleaded that Lucy stay back and write the next chapter in her novel, Levy was one of Lucy's biggest fans after all.

A goofy expression of delighted anticipation was permanently plastered to Natsu's face now; he couldn't wait to give Lucy her present, certain that her reaction would be a positive one. Happy however, could sense a 'Lucy kick!' in Natsu's future and he didn't want to share the pain…

When they stopped at the familiar apartment building, the Exceed made a quick excuse about how he was going to the guildhall because he'd missed eating the way Mirajane prepared fish for him. Natsu didn't think anything of it and didn't notice Happy's wince just a moment before the cat flew off.

"Time to surprise, Lucy," Natsu said excitedly to himself, mentally rubbing his hands together in glee.

He stared up at Lucy's window and grinned at the fact that it was wide open. Shifting his hold on the box, Natsu prepared and then launched himself up onto the sill.

Once perched and gripping the frame with one hand, he peered inside the room in search of Lucy. He scrunched up his face and then jumped to the floor before straightening up to his full height.

"Luce?" he called.

He strained his ears and caught faint sounds coming the bathroom. A moment later the door to the bathroom cracked open and he could see a towel clad Lucy peeking out at him.

"Natsu? What are you doing here?" she asked in confusion.

His smile brightened upon seeing her and he bounced over, holding the glass box behind his back with one arm.

"Natsu!" Lucy protested, "Just wait, I'm not even dressed yet!"

He shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me."

The celestial mage turned slightly pink and huffed out a breath while she rolled her eyes.

"Just give me five minutes, okay?"

He shrugged again but went and sat on her bed to wait. The bathroom door closed once more and, for some reason, Natsu couldn't stop himself from straining his hearing again. He could pick up the sounds of material rustling and sliding along skin. His body began to heat up slightly and he wasn't entirely sure why.

_Weird_, he thought before dismissing it from his mind. The creature in the case caught his attention then when it clacked its pincer-like forelegs against the glass. Natsu brought the box up to his face so he could grin at the rock and crystal insect.

At first it had reminded him of a hermit crab because of the odd looking shell it seemed to have on its back, but he had seen earlier in the day that the shell wasn't a shell at all, but a set of folded up wings.

"Hey there, little guy," Natsu greeted, pressing his face up against the glass, "Ready to meet Lucy?"

The creature's spindly feelers brushed the wall of its confined space.

"Don't worry," the dragon slayer said, "Lucy's not that scary…most of the time."

A minute later the bathroom door opened once more and the celestial mage stepped out. She was in a pair of pale blue shorts and a singlet with the Heart Kreuz logo on it. Her suspicious brown eyes fell to what he had in his hands and then her forehead crinkled.

"What is that, Natsu?" she asked warily, not quite able to see what it was.

"Come and look!" he answered, "I brought it back for you as a gift!"

Lucy hesitantly approached and then leaned down and focused on what was in the case.

"Natsu!" she screamed in terror, backpedalling and falling on her butt, scooting away, "What is _that_!?"

He tilted his head, completely perplexed and a little bit saddened by her reaction.

"It's a lacrima pet," he explained slowly, "They were selling them at the town me and Happy went to."

Lucy was eyeing at the case in his hands with distrust, "What's a 'lacrima pet' exactly?"

He shrugged and tried to ignore the creeped out look she had on her face, "It's a magic creature I guess, but it's not really 'alive' so you don't need to worry about feeding it or anything, I know you get to busy and would forget if you had to feed it…I thought you'd like it."

Lucy cringed.

_He thought I'd like a gross rock bug thing like that?_ She thought in surprise, _where'd he get an idea like that?_

She watched as Natsu gently placed the glass box on the floor, he rubbed a hand through his hair and shifted awkwardly as he averted his gaze.

"If you don't like it, Luce," he said, "I'll give it to someone else, no big deal."

The blonde sighed as she felt a heaviness settle in her chest.

_He was just being nice_, she told herself, _I overreacted_. _Gah, I hate when he gets all sad!_

Her skin crawled at the sight of the unattractive pet but nevertheless, she slowly moved forward to get a better look, in case it suddenly turned cute.

"So," she started unsurely, not wanting to offend Natsu further, "Why did you pick one of these?"

She struggled to keep her expression neutral as she glanced down at the lacrima pet.

"Lots of reasons," Natsu said casually, sitting down on the floor across from her, "I thought you might like a pet in case you ever get lonely or something, not that you should be, you have me…and Happy and that little dog spirit of yours."

Natsu stuck out his bottom lip as he stared at the glass box with a contemplative expression. Lucy felt warmth spread in her chest as she mentally repeated three of his words, _you have me_.

"And this little guy reminds me of you," Natsu remarked, tilting his head as he studied the odd bug-like thing.

Lucy pulled a face, "_That_ reminds _you_ of _me_?"

"Well, yeah," he said, like it was obvious, even going so far as to roll his eyes.

She copied his action, rolling her eyes as well, "Are you going to explain why?"

Natsu exhaled loudly and looked away as he folded his arms across his muscular chest. A streak of sunlight boldly drifted over the fire mage, highlighting the soft colour of his hair and the definition in his muscles before settling on the lacrima pet and creating dozens of tiny little rainbow reflections.

_Huh_, thought Lucy, _he's cute…um, the pet that is, _she justified to herself, telling herself that she hadn't meant that Natsu was cute, _no, that would be weird, right?_

Natsu sighed and then looked back to her as he began his explanation, "Well the guy at the stall told me about them, he said they were really strong, that they could survive pretty much anything."

Lucy blinked and then pulled her knees up, hugging her legs as a kind of awed affection seeped into her.

_Does that mean Natsu thinks I'm strong?_

"He also said," Natsu continued, focusing his attention on the lacrima pet, "that they were friendly, smart and…look!"

He grinned and leaned down closer as the pet began to unfurl its crusted wings and straighten up. The underside revealed was smooth, mirror-like crystal that caught the light spectacularly. Pale, glittering crystal spread out and replaced the rough, dull rock surface of the creature as it raised itself up on its wispy hind legs.

As it began to slowly twirl in a captivating dance, Lucy whispered, "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," Natsu said quietly as a smile spread on his face, "That's what I thought."

Lucy's eyes jumped up to meet his and her stomach jumped as the connection was made. The room seemed to heat up and Lucy smiled softly.

"Thank you, Natsu, it was very thoughtful of you," she said, her voice warm with fondness for the dragon slayer.

Part of her was thrilled at the implication that Natsu thought she was strong and beautiful and the other part was nearly overwhelmed with affection for him. She unfolded herself and scooted over to kneel beside him, intending to kiss his cheek in gratitude.

However, Natsu Dragneel was a very direct person and always faced people head on, so it was instinctive for him to turn his head at that very moment, sensing her face turning towards his.

Their lips met in an all too brief electric moment, their expressions showing their matching surprise as they stared wide-eyed. Natsu's mouth moved against hers as he tried to say her name.

She squeaked and scrambled back, her fingers flying up to touch the echo of her first kiss on her lips. For a long, tense moment, the two just stared at each other. Lucy forced herself to tear her gaze away, hoping her thumping heart would slow.

"Th-thank y-you," she stuttered, feeling her cheeks turn pink, "f-for the gift."

He coughed and rubbed his neck awkwardly before pushing himself to his feet.

"Yeah, right back at you," he mumbled as he turned away and headed back over to the window.

"See you later then, Luce," he added.

And with that, the young man left, leaving Lucy to flop onto the floor and try several different breathing exercises.

She turned her head and spoke to her new pet, "What did he mean 'right back at you'? I didn't give him a gift…"

The creature stopped its twirling and curled back up, regaining its coarse and hardy outer appearance.

"You're right," Lucy whispered, "I should do something nice for him, he's always trying to do nice things for me."

She smiled, "I mean, I wasn't so happy when he decided he should clear out my closet that one time…but even though he doesn't always think things through, his heart's always in the right place and sometimes he does something right, you're one of the best gifts I've ever been given. I'll repay Natsu somehow."

**AN: There will be several more chapters, showing the different moments our requester wanted, ie- Natsu and Lucy's first date and stuff, a happily ever after sort of thing and some Nashi family time XD**

**The next couple of chapters though will all be right after each other, then it will jump to the future, if that makes sense :p**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hellllo, thanks for all the nice reviews! I don't even know what my brain is doing anymore though lol, or if these two are still in character, i hope they'll alright :P Its a short chapter, sorry :P**

Natsu had left an hour ago and Lucy still couldn't decide what she should give him as a gift. She was pacing around her room, absorbed in her mental debate. Occasionally the sunlight would catch on the lacrima pet as it rested in its case on her writing desk.

She would glance over to it every few minutes and feel conflicting emotions swirl inside her. Her immediate reaction to seeing the pet now was fondness and joy at Natsu's thoughtfulness, but those emotions would always give way to guilt at how she had first acted upon seeing the creature as well as self-disappointment at the fact she had no idea how to repay Natsu.

"He never talks about things that he wants," the blonde muttered to herself, "Unless it's food or a fight…what should I do?"

She tapped her lip in thought as she walked around her floor space in a loop.

"He likes food, maybe I should take him out to dinner?" she suggested to the room.

Then she sighed and shook her head, "But that's not really on the same level as what he did for me…besides I wouldn't want him to think it's a date or anything."

She laughed a little nervously, "As if he would think it was a date! Ha!"

Her concentrated gaze burned into the floor as she paced for the next few minutes, turning over different ideas in her head and discarding most of them.

In fact, she was so inwardly focused that she didn't even notice when Natsu himself climbed through her window when her back was turned. He was amused by her mutterings and so sat on her bed, keeping perfectly still so she wouldn't notice him.

Her pacing turned into stomping and her hands became clenched at her sides.

"Ugh!" Lucy huffed, scrunching up her face and smacking her head, "Why is this so difficult!?"

"Am I a bad friend for not being able to think of anything to get him?" she asked on a sigh as her anger dissipated a moment later.

She bit her lip, "Maybe dinner will be alright if I take him somewhere really nice, he'd appreciate that right? I'm sure I'll find a way to afford it somehow…"

_Oh, Lucy,_ thought Natsu in a mixture of exasperation and affection, warmth blooming in his chest.

"Alright," the celestial mage said decisively to herself, "Dinner it is, maybe we could go to that place on Dandelion Ave…"

She let out a long sigh, "But then what if people think it's a date?"

Chewing her cheek, she mumbled, "It _would_ be a date technically, right? Is that weird? I'd be on a date with Natsu…"

Simultaneously, the two felt something hot drip down inside them at the thought. Natsu's eyebrows pulled together.

_I liked that? I want to go on a date with Lucy? I've never really thought about it before…I mean I really like her and everything but always thought she wouldn't be interested._

"Maybe he wouldn't think of it as a date," Lucy's voice shook him out of his thoughts, "Do I _want_ him to think of it as a date? Ugh, this is hurting my head."

Lucy pulled in several deep breaths and Natsu found his eyes drawn to the movement of her chest. As heat crept up his neck and face, Lucy continued her debate.

"What about our friendship? I love having Natsu as my friend…am I overthinking this?"

For a second, Natsu thought she was talking to him, but then he saw her eyes on the lacrima pet. The glow of pride sparked inside him and he mentally praised himself for his good idea. He then chuckled inwardly as another idea came to him.

"Maybe," said Lucy contemplatively, "maybe I'll just tell him I'm taking him to dinner as a 'thank-you' and wait and see if he thinks it's a date and then I'll see how he reacts."

She seemed so happy with that line of thought; she even halted her pacing and hammered a fist into her open palm, as if everything was decided. However she withered in the next moment.

"But…but I think I want him to think it's a date, I think…"

"Why do you want it to be a date?" the dragon slayer asked.

Just as he had hoped, she answered him without comprehending the fact that it was _he_ who asked.

"Because I like Natsu!" she said, her tone frustrated.

"Oh really?" he questioned, smirking, "Why?"

She put her hands to her face, as if to cool herself down, her hands shook a little.

"Oh my god," she breathed, "What am I going to do? Do I tell him? No, I can't do that, he won't understand."

Natsu frowned at that, thinking he understood plenty of things that people thought he didn't.

"Oh, this is going to be so awkward! Just like that last time," Lucy muttered desperately.

He could see Lucy was becoming more and more worked up about everything and so he decided to make his move and show her that she had nothing to worry about. When her walking loop brought her passed where he was sitting so immobile, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.

She yelped as he jerked her over to him. He caught and supported her with his arms but kept her a little off balance; one of her hands clenched into his vest and held her back off his chest as she stared in surprise up at him.

"N-natsu?" she squeaked.

He grinned in answer and delighted in watching her face slowly turn bright pink.

"H-have you been here very long?" Lucy asked nervously.

Leaving the, now-unnerving, grin on his face, Natsu shifted his hold to her waist and pulled her up easily so she was beside him on the bed.

"So, Luce," he said instead of answering her directly, "When's our date?"

She made a choked sound and then buried her face in her hands and moaned, "_Natsu_."

He smirked and didn't question the way his stomach flipped hotly at the way she said his name. He turned to face her more directly and then reached out and took hold of her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face.

He brought his face close to hers and turned serious as he stared into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Luce, you really don't have to worry about anything, okay?" he told her, forcing out the truthful words despite his racing, nervous heart, "And you don't have to try and think of a gift for me because you've already given me the best thing."

A subtle pink lingered on her cheeks and she blinked once before enquiring tremulously, "I h-have?"

"Yeah," he answered huskily. His heated eyes traced over her fine features and settled on her lips. Curiosity about the taste of those lips welled up inside him but he held back and instead said, "But I really would like to go to dinner with you as well."

"A-as a d-date?" squeaked Lucy, her eyes huge.

He laughed lightly and moved even closer to her, forcing her to lie down on the bed. He hovered over her, bracing himself with his hands and knees on either side of her.

"Well yeah, of course," he said, meeting her gaze, "I thought you'd worked through all this already, silly Lucy."

She let out a nervous laugh and tried to get her brain to function properly despite Natsu's closeness.

"O-okay," she whispered, "A date it is."

He gave her a bright smile and whispered back conspiratorially, "Oh yeah, and I should probably tell you…I like you too."

**AN: Also my vague plan so far is this; **

**Chapter 3 is Lucy talking with the other guild girls and freaking out about her date, Chapter 4 is the date, Chapter 5 is the proposal, Chapter 6 is...i dunno, wedding stuff maybe? And then Chapter 7 could be something about pregnancy and Nashi XDD Okay? Also depending on how inspired i am or not, some chapters might be smooshed together, like maybe 3 and 4 might be together :/ i dunno :P**


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